Programs by Campus

Bloomington

Gender Studies

College of Arts and Sciences

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Gender Studies examines the social processes, cultural repre­sentation , relations of power, and forms of knowledge that generate an array of gendered perspectives and experiences worldwide. A focus on gender as an analytic category facilitates an array of scholarly collaborations, reflecting new theoretical and methodological developments in diverse fields such as the social sciences, the arts and humanities, the natural sciences, and policy studies. Categories of difference that articulate with gender—such as race, ethnicity, class, and religion—are vertical grids of attention throughout the doctoral degree program.

The Department emphasizes integrative and transdisciplinary modes of analysis for the study of sexualities and sexual identi­ties, bodies and their technologization and medicalization, representation and social/cultural production, and feminist epistemologies.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

For graduate admission the College requires a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.

We require the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) be taken in the past five years. We prefer a score of 600 or higher on either the verbal or quantitative sections of the examination and a 5.0 on the Analytical Writing assessment. Furthermore, we expect a minimum total score of 1150 (Quantitative and Verbal scores added together). The institution code for Indiana University is 1324. All applicants must ask ETS to forward GRE scores to IU using this code.

For applicants whose native language is not English, the College and the University Graduate School require proof of proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English. In almost all cases proficiency should be demon­strated by achieving a score of 213 or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Course Requirements

Students will complete at least 60 credit hours of course work, which includes 9 credit hours of core courses, 15 credit hours in a chosen area of concentration, and a 12 credit hour gradu­ate minor (taken either in another department or designed on an intra- or interdepartmental basis). Note that elective courses in one’s area of concentration may be taken outside the Department of Gender Studies. A maximum of 30 credits may be transferred from graduate work completed at another university, provided the Director of Graduate Studies approves the course content.

Only those students intending to pursue the Ph.D. will be admitted to the program. However, a Master’s degree may be obtained upon satisfactory completion of its requirements, which are: three required core courses for the doctorate; a minimum of nine additional credit hours in GNDR, including two 3 cr. courses at the 600 level and one 3 cr. course at the 700 level; and up to 12 credit hours of approved elective courses outside Gender Studies. A total of 30 credit hours of course work is required to obtain the Master’s degree.

Foreign Language Requirement

Gender Studies does not require a foreign language for all stu­dents. However, if a candidate is engaged in transnational gen­der scholarship, a foreign language may be formally required. The DGS will determine the means by which proficiency will be demonstrated.

Research Skills

Beyond the required core course G702 Researching Gender Issues, there is no specific research-related skill requirement. However, a student’s advisor may require additional compe­tency in (a) research skill(s) appropriate to that student’s dissertation topic. Such requirements may include competency in a second language, statistical methods, questionnaire development, ethnographic methods, interviewing techniques, textual or media analysis, computing/internet/webmaster operations, specific laboratory skills, other research and technical skills, or appropriate combinations of any of these. These studies are to be undertaken early in the candidate’s graduate career. The as­sessment and completion of any required research competencies normally must be certified by the DGS prior to admission to candidacy.

Additional Requirements after Admission with Master’s Degree

Candidates admitted with a master’s degree from another institution may be required to take additional preparatory work, depending on their background and training. The program will be decided in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and the DGS.

Qualifying Examination and the Dissertation Defense

Qualifying examinations (both written and oral) are to be taken approximately 8 months after the completion of course work. Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination and presentation of a satisfactory dissertation proposal, the student will be nominated to candidacy for the Ph.D. The Dissertation Committee, which must be approved by the Dean of the Gradu­ate School, will be responsible for directing and evaluating the thesis. The dissertation defense serves as the final oral exami­nation and will cover topics related to the dissertation and area of specialization.

Ph.D. Minor in Gender Studies

Course Requirements

Note: The Department has recently changed its requirements for the Ph.D. Minor. Requirements listed here are effective Fall 2012. Ph.D. Minor students who began the minor prior to this date have the option of completing the requirements that were effective prior to Fall 2012.

A Ph.D. Minor in Gender Studies requires at least four 3-4 credit courses offered by the Department of Gender Studies. At least 1 of these courses must be chosen from the following: G598 Feminist Theory: Classic Texts and Founding Debates; G600 Concepts of Gender; G603 Feminist Theories; G700 Sexualized Genders/Gendered Sexualities; or G702 Researching Gender Issues. Students may petition for a maximum of one non-GNDR graduate-level 3-4 credit course taken in another IU department or transferred from graduate work at another university to be counted towards the minor. The director of graduate studies must deem such a course to have significant Gender Studies content. Plans for the minor must be made in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies or Graduate Secretary in the Department of Gender Studies.

Grades

Only grades of B (3.0) and above will count for credit.

Examination

None required. A Gender Studies faculty member may be in­vited to attend the student’s oral qualifying examination.